MURDER cops were last night holding the teenage girl they believe lured knife victim Shakilus Townsend to his death in a honeytrap.

The 16-year-old was among five suspects arrested over the stabbing of Shakilus, killed by a mob after being tricked to a spot near a church.

Detectives were also questioning three teenage boys aged 16, 17 and 18 and a 22-year-old man.

They were arrested after a tip-off from someone disgusted by the slaughter.

One suspect was picked up late on Saturday and the rest were seized in a swoop early yesterday morning.

A police source said: The arrests are significant. They are all good arrests.

Shakilus, 16, was a knife-wielding gang member himself, but was said to have been trying to break free of the violent lifestyle when he was killed.

Grief ... Shakilus Townsend's sister and father

His teenage temptress, wearing a floral dress, had texted and phoned his mobile and then arranged to meet Shakilus in Thornton Heath, South London.

But when Shakilus arrived at the spot ten miles from his home patch in Deptford he was surrounded by a masked gang who attacked him with blades and baseball bats.

One eyewitness said the savage attack lasted AN HOUR.

Horrified mum-of-four Sharon Simpson said: They were chasing him in the gardens outside my flat. They cornered him and beat him to the ground.

They were kicking him, punching him and whacking him with a baseball bat. It was vicious. It must have gone on for about an hour.

I went outside and told them to leave him alone but they just ignored me. They could have killed me too.

Weapons

Furious friends of Shakilus yesterday threatened to take their revenge on the honeytrap girl.

An internet page set up in memory of the tragic youngster had a message from a pal called YungahJkid.

It read: Remember u set up Shak you bitch. and he luved yooooh. You iz f****d.

Shakilus can be seen on the Bebo page brandishing weapons and making gang signs. In one picture he peers into the camera lens while holding a four-inch knife.

In another he is seen in a hoody holding a gun and making gang symbols with his fingers.

Other photos on the site show him pretending to fire two guns while grinning at the camera.

Mob pals have hailed him as a fallen soldier.

Another message also in text slang and from a girl pal said: Theres no point of people saying u were this good boy because we no u werent but you were trying to change and i no this.

Then in a threat to the honeytrap girl she added: That chick is a snake . . . bbe i swear if i ever find out who she is. . .

Gang rivals hit back by hijacking the Gone Too Soon site and adding their own menacing messages.

One said: Well you got what you deserve, I hope its nice and hot where you are.

Another called Shakilus gun-wielding scum adding: Live by the sword, die by the sword."

And one said simply: Rot in hell, gangster boy.

The spot where Shakilus died, in a communal doorway, was packed with floral tributes yesterday.

One, from the youngsters girlfriend, also indicated he was trying to get out of the gang culture.

The girl, named Ashanah, wrote: The thing that is hurting most is knowing that you were changing.

But as everybody says, The good die young. Even though you had your share of problems, you should never had gone.

Ashanah also wrote: I love you. I cant believe I will never see your cheeky grin again. I loved being your girlfriend. I will always have a place for you in my heart.

Message of condolance ... from the family of stabbed Ben Kinsella

The family of fellow knife victim Ben Kinsella stabbed to death on a night out in North London also left flowers along with a message of condolence to Shakiluss grieving relatives.

They wrote: Our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.

God bless. From the parents and family of Ben Kinsella.

Two candles were yesterday also lit in Shakiluss memory by his devastated father Derek, stepmother and two sisters.

They led a group of 50 relatives and friends in a dignified vigil.

And they laid a bouquet bearing a poignant message in the hope it will spare other families the grief they are suffering. It said simply: Put down your knives.